PRESS CALL: Advocates Call on Congress to Fund Elections Immediately
Rep. Sewell, Calif. Secretary of State Padilla to join civil rights leaders to mark the 55th anniversary of Voting Rights Act
FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
Contact: Kiren Marshall, [email protected]
WASHINGTON — Citing a need for Congress to act immediately to ensure safe and free elections this fall, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, American Association of People with Disabilities, and the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda will be joined by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-07) and California Secretary of State Alex Padilla for a press briefing call on Wednesday, August 5, at 1:30 PM EST. The call comes on the eve of the 55th anniversary of the signing of the landmark Voting Rights Act.
In 2020, not only do voters of color, students, people with disabilities, and many Native Americans face barriers to the ballot like strict voter ID laws, polling place closures, and purges of the voter rolls, they also face a new obstacle: COVID-19. The nation has witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on our elections through the chaos in recent primaries with hours-long lines and massive polling place closures in states like Georgia and Wisconsin, where voters had to put their health and safety at risk in order to exercise their fundamental right to vote.
WHAT: Press call highlighting the need for immediate election funding in the new COVID-19 relief package
WHO:
—Vanita Gupta, president and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
–Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-07)
–Alex Padilla, California secretary of state
–Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP
–Maria Town, president and CEO, American Association of People with Disabilities
–Helen Butler, executive director, Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda
WHEN: Wednesday, August 5, 1:30 PM EST
WHERE: Call (877) 615-4337; Code: 5258898#
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The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.